


The True Perfect Court

by aFictionalReality



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: And (attempted) humor, Essentially it's The RIGHT Perfect Court, If you want to read how the OT3 + Captain Sunshine become Olympic Champions then this is for you, M/M, Olympics of 2012, Post-Canon, Spoilers for AFTG, There shall be shenanigans, US Court, and fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-06-25 11:19:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19744663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aFictionalReality/pseuds/aFictionalReality
Summary: Everyone in the Exy world had heard about the Perfect Court, but with Riko Moriyama dead, the idea of it had faded away. But that won't stop Kevin Day and Coach Kinzie from creating their own.With the 2012 Summer Olympics around the corner, the best of the best are coming together to fight for their chance to be world champions. Old teammates and rivals are brought back together to lead Team USA to a gold medal.For Kevin Day, Neil Josten, Andrew Minyard, and Jeremy Knox, the path to victory never tasted so sweet.





	1. Part I : A Forbidden Dream

**Author's Note:**

> This is post-Canon following some of Nora Sakavic's lil tidbits in her Extra Content.  
> Kevin Day, Neil Josten, Andrew Minyard, and Jeremy Knox are the Perfect Court to lead the US Exy Team to Victory.  
> All of the major characters belong to her and anyone else is simply fabricated because teams need more than like 4 people.

**August 2009**

_Neil Josten’s Fifth year at Palmetto State University _

Making Court was never a dream of Neil Josten’s. Or, at least, never one he allowed himself to have. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t dreamt of the day he would walk onto the Evermore Court with the best Exy players in all of the United States to compete for the chance to be the best players in the World. No matter, nightmares of his father carving into his face when he found him always overshadowed such dreams anyways. Now that his father was gone - dead - those dreams started to surface a little bit more. He always imagined he would be there with Kevin Day, that had never changed, but now he dared to dream of Andrew Minyard joining him there as well. He knew Andrew claimed to have no interest in being Court like the two of them, but Neil still dreamed of it despite himself.

So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him when he heard that Andrew was offered a place on Court and he turned it down. Neil could hardly fathom it as he sat on the phone with Andrew in his dorm room of Fox Tower. It was a Tuesday night early August, his fifth year at Palmetto and he felt a detached anger at the news. Robin looked up at him when he exclaimed.

“You’re joking. You turned them down? Why the hell would you do that?”

Andrew’s voice was apathetic on the other end, “Not all of us are junkies like you, Josten.”

“Andrew-” He wanted to argue with him, but it was too late to change anything. Not to mention he knew there was nothing he could say anyways. Andrew had his reasons, whatever they may be, and Neil wasn't one to try and change his mind. Instead he took a measured breath and felt the corner of his mouth quirk up, “Is Day pissed.”

A puff of air that may have been something like a laugh echoed through the line, “What do you think?”

Neil couldn’t help his smile. Kevin may be what some might call a friend, but his ever patronizing and infuriating personality always had Neil finding a little joy in his irritation. Kevin had just called the other night to ream him about getting the team ready for the upcoming season. The argument was as insufferable as always, but he had to admit it was nice to hear from Kevin. He was currently playing for both the Denver Lions and practicing with the National Court team but he could never quite give up entirely on his Foxes.

“Kevin isn’t used to being told no I’m sure,” Neil said as he leaned back on the beanbag chair, ignoring Robin’s questioning look. He could still feel a prickle under his skin at the thought of Andrew saying  _ no  _ to playing for the National team, but this was the same man who said no to the number one ranked Edgar Allen Ravens in High School just because he could. Neil also had to admit that his frustration was partially stemming from jealousy. He hadn’t heard anything from Court, although they had scouts attend several Foxes games the previous year. Neil still had his entire final year ahead of him, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to not have an offer, but it still got under his skin. Kevin Day trained with Court while he was at Edgar Allen and balanced it with school.

“Telling him no is one of my favorite past times.” Andrew’s answer came after a surprising stretch of silence and Neil yearned to lighten his mood.

Neil felt another mischievous smile and stood from the beanbag chair to head towards his room and out of earshot of Robin and their other roommate Andler. He held the phone between his ear and shoulder as he pushed the door open.

“Good thing you don’t like telling me no that much.”

Andrew was quiet for a moment, most likely deciding if he wanted to play this game right now. He settled on a mild, “I’ve learned that it never stops you from doing stupid things so I’ve stopped trying.”

“You do seem to enjoy telling me yes, though.” Neil pressed on, feeling his cheeks flush. Andrew had moved out to Indianapolis to play for the Stingrays early that summer and Neil still had a hard time flirting over the phone. He missed their easy banter, lazy kisses, and demanding touches. The thought had his ears warming. 

Andrew seemed to notice the shift in Neil and his voice took on a new edge. “Ask me a question then.”

Neil hesitated. “How’s Indianapolis?”

“Wrong question. Ask me another.”

So Andrew  _ did  _ want to play this game then, Neil swallowed. “Do you miss me?”

Andrew scoffed, “How can I possibly miss you when I can’t go a day without you bugging me?”

Neil grinned, to anyone else it would seem an incredibly rude thing to say, but from Andrew it was as close to affection as he could really exepct. Neil wouldn’t relent. “I thought this was supposed to be a yes or no question?”

Andrew said nothing so Neil asked again, voice low. “Do you miss me, Andrew?”

The silence stretched before he finally heard an answer.

“I hate you.”

And from Andrew, that was pretty much the same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> I am obsessed with the idea of my favorite characters going on to be Court and had to write a lil fic for it!  
> It'll be a multi-chapter and multi-POV story but won't be too long.  
> Hope you enjoy - Comments and Kudos always appreciated :D


	2. Part II : Sunshine on the Line

**April 2010**

_Kevin Day’s Second Year with Denver Lions_

It was Spring Championships already, and Kevin Day hated how much he was thinking about Neil’s final game with the Palmetto State Foxes. Sitting here in the arrivals area of Upstate Regional Airport waiting for his father to pick him up left him with too much time to over analyze everything about Neil’s captaining ability. He chided himself for worrying about it, he hadn’t been on the team in over two years, it wasn’t his place to worry. He wasted enough time worrying about his professional team and practices with Court. They still needed three more bodies by 2011. The final roster was due by January and by May they'd move into Evermore to train for the 2012 Summer Olympics. So far Kevin was the only striker on the US Court seeing as they still hadn’t replaced Riko. He didn’t know if it was a misplaced sense of pity and respect or if they truly hadn’t found someone they deemed worthy enough to replace him. No matter, they still needed two strikers and Kevin was holding out hope that Neil would be one of them. He knew they had their eyes on him, but they wanted to see how it did with a few months of working on a professional team under his belt. They said it was something they always tried to do, but Kevin thought it more likely that they wanted to make sure a team other than the fractured Palmetto State Foxes could handle him. He was known for his so-called “attitude problem.”

They had no idea how bad it really was, but Kevin wasn’t about to tell them that. Not when he had other plans in mind.

He looked up when he heard a honk and saw a familiar truck out front. David Wymack hadn’t bothered to get out of the car and Kevin expected nothing less. It was still a slippery slope, their father-son relationship, and they both treaded lightly.

Kevin heaved his navy and gold Lions duffel bag over his shoulder and opened the passenger door with a deep breath.

Wymack looked over and shared what no one but those who knew him would call a smile.

“How was your flight?” The question was timid, which was an odd sentiment to associate with the man.

“Good, Coach.” Kevin winced the second the word left his mouth. Wymack wasn’t his coach anymore, but it was instinctive. He still couldn’t bring himself to call him dad though. Wymack didn’t seem to notice the slip up, or refused to acknowledge it at least.

“Good good. How’s Denver?”

Kevin launched into a lengthy tirade about the holes in his team’s defense and the lack of aggressive playing style to counteract it. It was more a nervous habit than actual anger at the team, but it passed the time for a lot of the ride back. Finally, he slowed and looked over to ask the question he really wanted to know the answer to.

“How are the foxes?”

Wymack huffed a laugh. “They’re foxes, what else do you expect? They’re a high functioning group of idiots. But it’s getting better. The larger team size still hinders any chance at the closeness that first year we won Championships, but it’s much better.”

“And how’s Neil?” Kevin felt awkward asking, but he knew how Neil handled change, and this was the first year without any of his first fox family. Without Andrew.

Wymack knew exactly what he was referring to and fell silent. He spoke slowly, “Better now. He had a rough go this year, with him being the last of your lot. It was good for him I’m sure, but he did try to run once.”

Kevin swung his gaze over towards him, playing back every game and recalling if Neil had been there. Of course he had played every game, Neil would have gotten an immediate call from him if he missed a single one, Court wouldn’t accept that. Instead he asked, “He ran? When?” 

“When do you think? March.”

Kevin flinched, he should have guessed it. The anniversary of Baltimore. The team had an unspoken agreement to always spend the day doing something with Neil. It could be an extra scrimmage, a movie night, a stroll around town. Allison even took him shopping one year much to his dismay. It didn't really matter what they did, just anything to keep his mind off of the nightmare lurking in his mind. He thought about Robin and got suddenly angry. “He was alone, wasn’t he? Where the hell was Robin?”

A flash of something like anger was there and gone on Wymack’s face when he answered, “She had a court date to testify to put away the sick bastard who kidnapped her. She didn’t have the luxury to stay and help.”

Kevin looked at him and the unspoken question didn’t go unnoticed.  _ Where were you? _

Wymack sighed, “He seemed fine at morning practice, I wanted to say something, invite him over to have dinner with Abby and I. But he was laughing with Ryland and I didn’t want to make it into a thing if he wasn’t thinking about it. I should have known that Mr. I’m Fine wasn’t okay.”

“It’s not your fault. Even if you asked, he’d probably say no. That’s just how Neil is,” Kevin said, surprising himself with the tenderness in his voice. Wymack gave so much of his heart for his team, and the sound of guilt in his voice left Kevin feeling protective. He continued, “Did he come back on his own?”

Wymack shrugged as he turned the truck off the exit to Palmetto State. “Not entirely. I called Andrew.”

Kevin laughed without any humor. “That’s one way to handle it.”

“It worked. Robin was, of course, beside herself when she got back. Blamed herself, but she’s been so good for that boy. Without her, he’d be a lot worse off for sure.” Wymack had the hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Too bad a sweet girl like her is hanging out with a brat like Neil, he’s a bad influence."

This time Kevin’s laugh was real, soft but genuine. They pulled into the stadium parking lot when his phone rang. He flipped it open and saw a familiar number. The coach for the US Court team. He answered it immediately.

“Coach Kinzie,” He said in greeting. Wymack eyed him with raised brows but said nothing.

“Kevin, we’ve got another pick for our striker line.” She spoke with an air of authority he always associated with her. Coach Ramira Kinzie was an old friend of Kayleigh Day’s and had been the Coach of the Exy US Court Team for the past two Olympics, 2012 going to be her third. Her team for both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics had placed second and gone home with silver, which is a feat in and of itself, but she was determined to make her mark with the 2012 Olympics. She claimed in multiple ESPN interviews that this year was truly going to be The Perfect Court and they were going to win gold. It was a ballsy statement, one Kevin might roll his eyes at if he didn’t think she was entirely right. People were skeptical of her slow filling of the roster for the upcoming Olympics, but she had no doubts, claiming that it was necessary to find the right pieces to the puzzle. Starting in May of 2011 they’d all move in to the US Court living quarters at the Evermore Stadium, something that always made Kevin shiver. The professional teams were paid handsomely for the temporary loss of their teammates if they were to make Court, a sort of thank you for training the best of the best. Court met bi-weekly now to practice together, but Coach Kinzie was determined that if she could get the perfect team and give them a year to spend exclusively together and practice multiple times a day, it’d be all they needed. 

She had to get her team together first, though.

“Well who is it?” He didn’t need to ask if he’d know who the player was, he knew everyone they were looking at. He didn’t dare hope it be Neil yet, too soon for her to consider him. There was still one more spot for him to take later.

“It hasn’t been announced so I can’t tell you just yet, but you’ll hear soon enough. Just wanted to let you know. Tell your boy Neil to kick ass out there today, I’m keeping my eye on him, but there’s only one spot left in our Striker line. He’s gotta earn it.”

Kevin rolled his eyes, “He knows. I’ll be talking with him after the game to remind him. But are you really not gonna tell me who we signed?”

“Wish I could, Day, but he just accepted and it’s unfair favoritism if I tell you before announcing it to the team,” She chided.

“Does everyone else get this less than informative call?” He grumbled.

“Some just got a text."

"Then that's still favoritism, might as well tell me," He argued.

She chuckled, "Have patience. Anyways, I’ll let you go. Got some phone calls to make. Enjoy the game, I’ll be watching from here.”

The line disconnected and Kevin closed his phone, frustrated. The second it clicked shut, it chimed again. He opened it, expecting Coach Kinzie to be calling him back because she forgot something. Instead he had a blinking notification for an unread text message.

He opened the message and saw a familiar yet surprising name. And an even more surprising message.

KEVIN DAY, YOU CRAZY FOOL. CAN’T WAIT TO TAKE OVER 2012 WITH YOU.

-JEREMY KNOX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heehee I love Jeremy Knox with all my heart and refuse to believe he didn't also make Court (Nora never said he did, but she never said he didn't either so I choose to believe he did)
> 
> Comments and Kudos always appreciated!  
> I'll try to keep up a quick update schedule, over half of the story is written already anyways haha :)


	3. Part III : Call to Court

**October 2010**

_ Neil Josten’s First year with New York Pilots _

The call had come two hours ago and Neil could still feel the racing of his heart down through his fingertips - he was invited to join the US Court for the 2012 Olympics. In just 7 short months he’d be moving into The National - the US Court Residences. The thought made him itch, knowing just what stadium Court practiced at. Neil had been to Evermore for games since that traumatic winter, but it still left him feeling hollow every time he stepped foot on Edgar Allan’s campus. The past few years he could hear the construction as The Nest was destroyed, the US Court was having it’s own residences built anew. Above ground, thank god. 

He was walking back to his apartment from Saturday practice, ears buzzing in excitement. Andrew was visiting since it was an off weekend and Neil couldn’t wait to tell him. He wondered if Kevin knew yet, Coach Kinzie assured him that she had kept it a secret until he accepted, but he also never underestimated Kevin Day’s proclivity for meddling. Neil was currently on the phone with Matt, the two of them planning his upcoming trip to Columbia to see him and Dan. Dan was the assistant coach to the Palmetto State Foxes nowadays, her goal to be Wymack’s successor when he finally retired - whenever that might happen. Matt went on to be a professional Exy player just like Neil, Andrew, and Kevin. He had the talent to be drafted to an assortment of teams, but chose the Columbia Chargers in order to stay close to Dan. Nicky gave him the keys to the house in Columbia since he was moving back to Germany to be with Erik and the twins weren’t using it anymore. Nicky claimed it was nothing more than convenience of not having to sell it, but Neil knew that it was a thank you to Matt for the friendship they had garnered eventually despite the twin’s antagonism. Nicky had always yearned to be closer to the team and Matt and Dan had been the most open to the monsters. 

_ “I can be there at 2pm, when does your flight come in?” _ Matt asked on the other line. 

“8:00am. But don’t worry, I can wait at the airport,” Neil assured him.

He could practically hear Matt’s outrage. “ _ Absolutely not! I’ll see if Dan can get away for a bit. Maybe she’ll let you swing by campus to see the team.” _

Neil scoffed, he doubted most of them wanted to see him, “I’ll be fine-”

_ “Finish that sentence and I’m hanging up the phone,”  _ Matt threatened without any real heat. 

Neil just smiled and agreed to it. “Alright, Sounds good. I’ve got to go, I just got home. See ya Matt.”

_ “Love you Neil! Go get your boy.”  _ Matt had the tell tale smirk in his voice, knowing Andrew was visiting. Neil just hung up with a small grin. 

The elevator opened onto his floor and he took out his keys, turning left and opening the lock to his apartment down the hall. The lights were off in the main room, the only illumination provided from the TV and the city lights cascading through the windows. New York city was not one of Neil’s favorite places for a multitude of reasons, primarily because there were so many people. As someone who spent his life on the run, always being surrounded by people was both terrifying and comforting. It offered a sort of solace, knowing that when there were so many people, it was easy to go overlooked. On the flip side, he always felt eyes on him and it sent his paranoia skyrocketing sometimes. Of all the reasons to dislike the city, however, the constant barrage of light was something he enjoyed. Living downtown, it was almost never entirely dark which was perfect for someone who had nightmares of the pressing darkness of underground. 

Andrew was curled up on the couch with a bowl of ice cream that Neil was certain hadn’t been in his fridge before. His hazel eyes flicked up at the door when Neil came in and shut the door securely behind him. Andrew said nothing but went back to watching whatever nonsense commercial had been on the television. It was bitter cold in the city tonight and Neil relished in the warmth of being inside, pulling off his scarf and coat to hang by the door.

“Hey,” Neil said in an even voice, trying and failing to reign in his excitement.

Andrew glanced back at him as he approached the couch and settled on a mild tease. “If you touch me with your ice cold feet I will throw you out the window.”

Neil read Andrew’s body language as he slowly sat down beside him. Despite his biting words, he was having a good day. The tension in his shoulders was relaxed and eyes easy. They had far surpassed their days of yes or no for simple touches on good days. They knew and trusted each other enough to know when a day was bad and space was needed. For both of them. 

Still, for nostalgia sake, Neil sat sideways on the couch and leaned forward with a low voice. “Yes or no?”

Andrew glared at him for moment before saying yes. Neil nuzzled a kiss at the junction of his neck and felt Andrew shudder.

“Your nose is fucking freezing, jackass.” 

Neil grinned as he placed another kiss just below his ear before Andrew growled and grabbed his face with his hands, dragging his lips to meet his own, clearly tired of the teasing.

It felt like coming home in every sense of the word, the first kiss they’d had in nearly 3 months and Neil was starving for it. It wasn’t as harsh as most of their kisses but it still wasn’t gentle, that word could never really be used to describe either of them. Andrew bit his lip when he pulled away and leaned his forehead against his. 

“I made Court,” Neil said before he could think of anything else to say. Andrew looked up at him but didn’t seem surprised in the slightest. 

“Kevin just can’t let you go, can he?” He asked quietly.

“Neither can you,” Neil countered. “Did you miss me?” Neil asked again, echoing a question he had asked many times in the past. He had been given a multitude of answers to the question including rude comments, changing the subject, or even outright dismissals, but from Andrew they were all a sort of affection. 

This time, though, Andrew held no pretense as he breathed out his answer inches from his lips, “Yes.”


	4. Part IV : A Borrowed Dream

**January 2011**

_ Andrew Minyard’s First year with Philadelphia Panthers _

New Years Day had always annoyed Andrew Minyard to no end. The way people celebrated as if the changing of a calendar would erase the horrible events of their miserable lives the year before. It was everywhere in the city this time of year.

NEW YEAR, NEW ME!

FOLLOWING MY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS.

GOODBYE 2010!

The phrases were posted on magazines, media, even storefronts. Walking down the street towards his apartment, he was bombarded by the misguided sentiments. A stranger along his way even made the mistake of trying to offer him a balloon that said Happy New Year that was promptly popped and dropped to the ground. If he was being honest with himself, there was most likely another reason he was so bitter this New Years. Last November he had been transferred from the Indianapolis Stingrays to the Philadelphia Panthers. It was a mutual decision, Andrew was not only a difficult person to coach, but a difficult player to get along with as well. Coach Nguyen had been a previous Edgar Allen Raven and despite Andrew’s hatred of that team, they at least had more focus on playing Exy rather than Team Bonding. It better suited Andrew, being able to go to practice but not be plagued with the constant team meetings and get-togethers the Stingrays had insisted on. They hadn’t been sad to see him go and he was more than happy to leave them behind.

Another small part of his interest in the change may or may not have had to do with Philadelphia’s closer proximity to New York City. Not that the city itself had any real appeal to Andrew, it was an overrated concrete jungle full of trash - in the literal sense as well as the people. There was, however, a certain junkie that played for the New York Pilots that left him wanting to be a little closer. What had once been an 11 hour drive or a god-forsaken flight to see Neil, was now only a 2 hour trip in the Maserati. 

This year was going to throw a wrench in that, though. The Summer Olympics were in a year and Neil was going to be moving to fucking southern West Virginia in May. Coach Kinzie had a delusional thought that if he had her team together for a year without distractions from the outside world, they would bond enough to become unstoppable. It seemed an unhealthy technique, similar to Tetsuji Moriyama’s attempt with the Raven’s Nest. Or a cult. Regardless, he was more frustrated by his own annoyance than anything, but he knew how much Court meant to Neil. Not to mention, he refused to feel so attached that he couldn’t go a year without seeing him. 

Finally reaching his apartment, Andrew punched in his key code and took the stairs to the third floor. He shoved open the door and was only mildly surprised to see two people sitting in his apartment. He wasn’t, however, surprised to see that Kevin Day was one of them.

“I didn’t give you a key so that you could constantly annoy me with your presence,” Andrew murmured as he threw his keys on the kitchen counter. They clacked as they slid across the marble and fell to the floor. Kevin’s eyes followed them before sliding back up to Andrew’ apathetic expression.

“Then why did you give me a key?” He challenged, to which Andrew said nothing. Kevin gestured to the middle aged woman beside him. “This is R-”

“I know who she is. What I don’t know is what she’s doing in my apartment. Or you, for that matter.”

“Andrew Minyard, trust me when I say I want to be here no more than you want me to. But Kevin has been very persistent,” Ramira started, arms crossed. 

“He always is. You’ll learn to stop listening to him after awhile.” Andrew was currently ruffling through his pantry. He’d be damned if he let Kevin Day keep him from eating dinner. And if he made a little extra noise banging pans together when Kevin opened his mouth, no one had to know. Kevin, of course noticed, his face growing redder every time he tried to speak. Finally, he stomped into the kitchen and smacked a plate back down against the counter to stop the incessant noise. 

“Andrew, don’t be rude.” 

Andrew smiled sharply, an expression out of spite not happiness, “Oh, Day. You know better than to ask that of me.”

“Mr. Minyard, I’m here with a proposition-” Ramira said as she leaned her arms across the kitchen island between them.

“I would say Mr. Minyard is my father, but of course you know that’s not entirely true.”

“Alright then, should I call you Andrew?” She amended.

Andrew shrugged, “Or you could not talk to me at all and get the fuck out of my apartment, that’d be my preference.”

“We want you to be Court,” Kevin cut in before the two of them could argue further. Coach Kinzie had a temper, he could see it from the fire in her eyes. It made him like her just a fraction more. 

Andrew finally stopped fidgeting and directed his gaze back to Ramira. He let his apathy show without restraint, “I thought I got my answer across last time you asked. Did you take a few too many balls to the head and forget?”

“I convinced her to put out another offer. We need to have the finalized roster submitted by today and we need one more goalkeeper. And we want you,” Kevin said sternly.

Andrew leveled his gaze on Kevin, irritated now. “And I’m sure there are plenty of athletes begging to be given the chance.”

“But none of them are as good as you. And she knows that,” Kevin said pointing at Coach Kinzie, “Which is why we’re here.”

“A stupid mistake, really. I don’t want to be Court , Kevin. I don’t know what delusions you’ve planted into her head, but I’ve been trying to drill this very obvious lesson into your head since college yet somehow you still think this is what I want. What makes you think I’ll say yes this time?” 

Kevin’s verdant gaze was intense, “Because Neil is Court now.”

There was a heavy silence in the room now. Andrew hated the flutter in his chest at Neil’s name. It’s not that this was a surprise, Neil had told him back in October that he had been invited to Court. Still, he refused to accept for the sake of Neil.

He expression shuttered to one of anger. “Do you think I’m that predictable, Kevin? Neil was inconsequential to my decision then and still is now.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

“I don’t lie, you know that,” Andrew snapped.

“Not on purpose, but you lie to yourself more than anyone else I know. I know you said Court was Neil and I’s dream and not yours, but what if it was?”

_ Then borrow mine until you have one of your own.  _ Neil had said as much once when they talked about his goals. 

Andrew had held onto that, trying to find his own ambition - his own ‘dream.’ As the years passed, however, the more he realized that maybe this borrowed dream wasn’t quite so borrowed after all. He had wanted a purpose since he was a foster child growing up in a nightmare, and now he had found one. He would never admit it out loud, but the rush he felt blocking goals on the court or when Neil’s breath quickened in his ear in the darkness of his room was what he strived for. He wasn’t someone who believed in big dreams or fulfillment, but someone who aimed for that next feeling of anything but apathy.

And the only two things to give him that so far in his miserable life were Exy and Neil. 

“Fine. I’ll see you in May. Now get the fuck out of my apartment,” Andrew said. Kevin said nothing as Andrew signed on the dotted line, but he could sense the triumph and caught a glimpse of his smug smile as he and Coach Kinzie turned to leave. He let it slide for now, but Kevin just might have a few balls rebounded to the face this coming May.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I have nothing against New York City or it's lovely residents :)  
> But let's be honest, it's a very likely opinion that Andrew-I-hate-everything-popular-Minyard might have.


	5. Part V : The National

**May 2011**

_Jeremy’s Knox’s first day at The US Court National_

The weather was absolutely beautiful in West Virginia this time of year. Sunny with clear skies but nowhere near the heat Jeremy Knox was accustomed to in Los Angeles. Heaving his bag over his shoulder, he pushed his way out of the stuffy airport and into the fresh air. He took a deep breath and smiled, reveling in the fact that he was moving into The National today. He was part of what all the news stations were calling The Perfect Court. He didn’t need a face tattoo to feel a crawl up his spine at the thought of it.

“Knox! My man!” A familiar voice shouted from across the way at Arrivals pickup. Jeremy opened his eyes and saw Ben Farron sitting on a suitcase a few feet away.

Ben Farron was a year older than Jeremy and was one of the best backliners USC had ever seen. It was no surprise that he was Court. Coach Kinzie hadn’t shared with the media who her Perfect Court was yet - wanting to wait until she had them all under her wing to avoid a media frenzy. Media wasn’t even allowed on The National grounds. Because of that discretion, however, the team itself didn’t know the exact roster. The only player who probably knew was Kevin Day, although he’d never spill the news.

“Ben Farron, you made Court! That’s phenomenal, you deserve it for sure!” Jeremy called back with a smile as he made his way over to him.

“I could say the same about you, but I can’t imagine they’d pass up the opportunity to have you represent our country,” He said with a smirk, his cloudy blue eyes trained on him.

Jeremy laughed and ran a hand through his dusty blonde hair, used to the praise and teasing but feeling more uptight than usual.

Before he could say anything else, a large nondescript van pulled to a stop in front of them. The two of them looked up and saw the door slide open to revealing a surprising sight - a smiling Kevin Day.

It wasn’t actually that rare to see Kevin Day smile, the media had dozens of pictures and videos of it, but it was always his public facade. Anyone who knew Kevin could easily recognize the falsity of it. This smile however was a genuine spread of his lips and white teeth, even his green eyes lit up from it.

It was spectacular.

“Jeremy Knox, Ben Farron, excited to have you here. Come on, everyone else is waiting back at The National. It’s time to meet the rest of Court.” Kevin hopped down and helped pull their bags on the van, an unfamiliar man behind the wheel.

As they settled back for the ride, Ben leaned over to whisper to Jeremy. “I always thought Kevin Day was supposed to be terrifying?”

Jeremy simply laughed to himself, his eyes following Kevin as he slid into the passenger seat.

“Oh Farron, just you wait. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

___

“Listen up, it’s time. Time to put in the work, time to put behind all distractions and put 200% of your effort into this team. If I suspect you’re giving me anything less, you’re going to be running drills until you pass out. Minyard, that goes double for you,” Kevin jeered at him. Andrew made no remark but the corner of Neil’s mouth tipped up.

Kevin Day was the 2012 Exy Team USA Captain to absolutely no one’s surprise, and now that his initial excitement at getting the team together had passed, he was already in captain mode. Kevin Day was a phenomenal Exy player, arguably the best in the world right now. But what he garnered in talent, he lacked in people skills and Jeremy could already see his hard attitude leading to fissures in the team.

The United States Olympic Exy team consisted of 12 players; 3 strikers, 3 dealers, 4 backliners, and 2 goalies. This was the first they had all seen of each other and as Kevin rambled on about the upcoming training regimen, the rest of the players were sizing up everyone in the room. Some of them may be strangers to each other, but all of them were household names in the Exy world. Not to mention, there were more than a few old teammates in the lineup as well.

Kevin Day, Neil Josten, and Andrew Minyard led a surprising amount of Palmetto State Foxes on the Court roster, something that would have seemed incredibly unlikely in the past. Jeremy Knox himself was one of the three University of Southern California Trojans on the lineup - Ben Farron and Adam Lynch joining him. Two past Edgar Allen Ravens helped round out the backliners with Thea Muldani and Darren Menud. The other goalie Atalee Grey was from Penn State as well as another dealer, Olivia Dearborn. To finish out the team was a University of Colorado alum Eric Monmouth and Orin Laurent from the University of Southern Carolina Columbia.

“Alright, Kevin we’ll have more time to go over the schedule tonight at the team dinner. Which everyone is expected to be at,” Coach Kinzie cut in, sending a meaningful look at everyone in the room before continuing, “For now, everyone is off to their rooms. There are enough for everyone to have their own, but don’t expect that means you can hide away from the rest of the team for long. With a team sport like Exy, it’s crucial that each individual does their part. This team is a machine, but without all the parts working together, the entire thing can crumble. Each and every one of you is essential and therefore each and every one of you are required to get along. I know it’s unorthodox to spend an entire year here together, but it is going to be the essential final piece to this puzzle. Alright? Go get yourselves settled and meet in the dining hall at 5:30 for dinner. Go.”

With that, everyone stood and gathered their belongings, making their way to the residential elevators.

The National was a phenomenal building. It had been added to the Evermore stadium, taking over the East Tower and expanding outward on the outskirts. Where Evermore was a massive black nightmare, The National was nearly all windows and white stone. The foyer was facing outward towards the parking lot, the old Evermore Tower and elevator marking the back half of the building and connecting it to the Stadium. Jeremy hadn’t known what exactly the Nest had been like until Jean Moreau had joined his team at USC his fourth year. Now the thought of standing just above where the Nest had once been sent a spark of anger through him.

Most people didn’t think Jeremy Knox was capable of anger, but that’s just because he knew how to hide it. It never did anyone any good, it seemed a worthless emotion in his eyes. But that thought of Jean screaming as Riko cut under his skin with a knife night after night reminded him just how powerful of an emotion it could be despite his opinions.

The foyer is where they had their meeting this afternoon, the massive open room had vaulted ceilings, a white marble floor and a navy sectional that held almost all of them. Two Olympic silver medals hung beside a large television along with pictures of both the teams. Olivia Dearborn, Eric Monmouth and Thea Muldani the only three who played in the 2008 Olympics. The back wall held two elevators and a hallways towards the Evermore Stadium and locker rooms most likely. Jeremy felt the urge to go check them out like an itch under his skin, but refrained as Kevin Day appeared beside him.

“Knox, how’s Sacramento treating you?” Kevin seemed more at ease than usual, his green eyes settling on his face as the elevators took them up to the third floor.

“It’s been great! A little cold in the winter compared to LA though,” Jeremy replied with a bright smile.

Kevin laughed, “You should visit me in Denver, see what cold really is.”

“I’d love to see some snow actually!”

Kevin tilted his head. “ Have you never seen snow?”

“Of course I have, but only driving through it for games. I’d love to try skiing sometime. Something I remember you saying you’d like to try.” The joke was double sided and Kevin seemed to catch the significance of it, the corner of his mouth ticking up. The reminder shifted Kevin’s attention to something else, he could see it in his eyes as the elevator opened to the upper floor.

“How is he?” He asked quietly.

Jeremy felt a curl in his chest and shrugged, “He seemed to be doing okay last time I spoke to him.”

Kevin furrowed his brows. “Last time you spoke to him?”

Jeremy shifted awkwardly, an uncomfortable smile on his lips. “We aren’t together anymore. Something about Milwaukee and Sacramento being a little too far apart.”

Despite his attempt to laugh it off, Kevin seemed to pick up on it being a sore topic so he turned to look at their surroundings now. The third floor had a long hallway of rooms, 14 in total. All the doors were swung open, showing identical layouts. They consisted of bright white and blues, small kitchenettes, full size beds, and a small living space. A large bathroom at one end of the hall indicated that the rooms didn’t have their own. It made Jeremy think of his first year of college in the freshman dorms without the second bed indicating a roommate.

Each door had a golden plaque with a name etched into it. His was the third door down, between Kevin Day and Neil Josten. He walked in and dropped his bags to the floor before noticing that Kevin had followed in behind him. Jeremy turned to look and Kevin wore a sad expression that seemed entirely too genuine and out of character for the notorious Kevin Day.

“I’m sorry. About Jean.”

Jeremy swallowed, smiling weakly in thanks. “Thank you, I’m sure it’s for the best.”

“Or maybe it’s just not the right time,” Kevin supplied awkwardly. He gave the impression that he didn’t try to comfort other people very often and for some reason that made Jeremy feel more embarrassed.

He offered a light-hearted chuckle before patting Kevin on the shoulder, “Maybe so. But I’m sure lucky to have a friend like you, Kevin.”

Kevin nodded and stepped out of the room, leaving Jeremy to look out over his empty room and out the wall of windows on the far side into the expansive tree line. He thought about where he was and what this meant and couldn’t contain the smile as he thought about the next year.

Thought about the work he had put in.

Thought about the people he was surrounded with right now.

And he was ready to take over London in 2012.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry it's been awhile, I've been sick and not feeling up to writing. But here is another part finally! :)


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